ramsey wrote:I think a lot of people here have kited in high gale force winds say mid-30s to low 40's. Once you get a little bit over that its just not possible. Say what you will, but once you get to sustained mid 40's you're talking gusts in the mid 50's that probably the limit to kiting here or even in the gorge. Same for a weak tropical storm

Strong Trop storm force is 50+ meaning likely gusts to 60 or 70. There's really no kite small enough. Hurricane force is basically not worth talking about at >74mph sustained.

I have kited half a dozen times in mid 40s-50 mph winds and i would agree with Ramsey that over 50 its not really possible. It gets so insanely gusty that it can go from 15-55 in a split second in weather like that. Kites that small are ridiculously twitchy and i found myself doing double kiteloops and smashing the kite a lot by overreacting.

With that said i love days like that.. Pull the handle down just a hair and suddenly you are 40ft in the air... Such a rush!!!

Loscocco wrote:With that said i love days like that.. Pull the handle down just a hair and suddenly you are 40ft in the air... Such a rush!!!

Amen!! I remember the windsurfing video that changed my life, Rod Parmenter videotaping Mike Kitts windsurfing in 60 MPH Chinook winds at Rooster back in the early `80's; high wind addiction is what brought me from Boston to SF Bay (and then Hood River). About a month ago I was up in the Hood kiting 7m and 8m, and one day I took my friend's 5m and I think it was blowing in the mid 40's but the kite was so quick I can't really imagine kiting in anything windier. Like Aloha says, 50 MPH compared to 40 is a hell of a lot stronger than 30 is to 20.

I wonder, though, how much kite design could evolve for this. I was on my 2008 7m Rebel but rode my buddy's 2012 8m Rebel which had insane range and stability and I felt was the best kite I've tried to date. The designer had spent a great deal of time tweaking this size whereas in the past he'd focused on 10m, so I wonder if a good designer could actually come up with stability and control at 5m or below? I remember a day years ago at Doug's Beach when I borrowed my friend's 2.8m windsurf sail and was still overpowered...

I remember SHOWING OFF in Abaco in prefrontal conditions (Me! doing something dangerous, NEVER!!)- Anyway, I boosted this big air and caught this Double LIFTER that BLASTED ME almost onto the beach..... after that I stayed WELL OFFSHORE!!!!